


Undercover

by Jackie_Gaytona



Category: What We Do in the Shadows (TV)
Genre: Hotel, M/M, More tags later, Post-Episode s02e10 Nouveau Théâtre des Vampires, Roadtrip, i have no idea where this is going actually, maybe slowburn?, nandermo - Freeform, post-s02
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:35:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26659819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackie_Gaytona/pseuds/Jackie_Gaytona
Summary: “You said you are no longer my familiar. So what does that make you? Why are you here? You’re free.” He chanced a cautious glance up at Guillermo’s face, and his eyes – big, round puppy eyes – were glistening with moisture. “Are you going to leave me again?”Once again Guillermo’s chest swelled with emotion, and once again he fought it down. He kept his voice curt and his expression cool. “I don’t know,” he said.--After the theater slaughter, Guillermo and the vampires are forced into hiding. Which means traveling to New Mexico and imploring the help of somebody Guillermo wishes he could forget...
Relationships: Guillermo de la Cruz/Nandor the Relentless, Laszlo Cravensworth/Nadja
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	Undercover

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to uv_duv for beta reading!! 
> 
> My plans for this fic is a multichapter slowburn but we'll see what happens. Chances are I'll be too impatient to make it reaally slowburn :P One day I will actually figure out how to fix the formatting in ao3 but hopefully it's readable.
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are hugely appreciated!! I love reading all the comments on my fics, they give me life!

_“Don’t care what the fuck your name is, we had to pick up our own laundry!”_

Nandor would never admit to it, but seeing Guillermo standing there, unhurt, surrounded by piles of dead vampires, was _more_ than just a relief. Watching him in that adrenaline-fueled moment, moving in slow-motion with such deadly grace, slaughtering their enemies left right and center…it had stirred things inside Nandor that he automatically pushed aside in confused shame.

And when Guillermo announced his full name, those same feelings had come rushing back, only for Nandor to once again clamp down on them and awkwardly yell the first rebuke that came to mind. It was all too much for his ancient head to process: the dazzlement of the theatre, the unexpected attack, the ridiculous stage show, and then Guillermo sweeping down from the heavens to slaughter half the theatre’s occupants and scare away the rest.

And the _fear_ …

Nandor had not felt such intense fear for centuries. He couldn’t remember the last time a dread this deep had snaked through his core and clenched itself around his dead heart. Being captured by the Vampire Council and thrown down a well to greet the sunlight had evoked far less terror in him than seeing his familiar surrounded by dozens of nightwalkers, all fangs and claws, all thirsty for blood. Because that was it; that was the root of the fear he’d felt tonight. He thought Guillermo was going to die. And he thought he’d be forced to sit there and watch it happen – watch his familiar and friend of eleven years be cut open and drained right before his eyes.

Even now that same dread licked its dying flames at his insides, and he already knew his mind would torture him later with the _what ifs_. What if Guillermo had slipped? What if a stake had missed its target? It also didn’t help that there were still vampires outside, likely hovering around the theatre, waiting for a safe moment to crash back through the doors. It was this concern that made Nandor call out again.

“Well?” he yelled, trying to hide the shakiness in his voice. “Are you going to fucking untie us?”

Guillermo rushed forward then, and Nandor exhaled in relief. These binds were _extremely_ uncomfortable; he could already feel the burns eating into his wrists. And the sooner they got out of here, the better. He watched enthusiastically as Guillermo took the steps on the opposite side of the stage. He bent behind Laszlo’s chair and began to fiddle with the binds. Nandor couldn’t see what he was doing from where he sat, but before long Laszlo was free and nursing his aching wrists, his mouth contorted in displeasure. Guillermo untied Nadja next. The theatre was eerily silent. Even Colin Robinson couldn’t bring himself to say anything witty or annoying. Nandor was sure he’d never seen his companions so sober. He himself didn’t really feel like speaking, either. Instead he just looked down at his lap and waited.

After a short time, he saw Colin’s arms move in his periphery, and the energy vampire muttered something about shoulder pain under his breath. Nandor looked up expectantly as Guillermo stopped in front of him. He stared Nandor down in some secret challenge; one that Nandor couldn’t decipher. And then he simply walked away, heading for the darkened backstage.

Nandor twisted his neck around and gaped, his lips drawn back in a silent snarl. Laszlo stifled a snort of laughter. Nadja _tsked_ and started to tug at Nandor’s binds, but Nandor hardly noticed. Something heavy as lead bloomed in his chest.

“Guillermo! Get back here and untie me!” Nandor shouted. Guillermo made no indication that he’d even heard the vampire, though Nandor knew he _had_. “Fucking guy!” he spat. He wrenched his hands free the moment the binds were loose, and stood up with a twirl – only to find the back of the stage empty.

*****************

Guillermo was done. Yet even as he started the SUV and hit the accelerator hard, he knew he wouldn’t escape them. These vampires, however much he detested them right now, would always be a part of his life.

He’d considered waiting for them and protecting them, but a bitter, hateful fist around his heart had quashed that idea. The vampires surrounding the theatre were few and far between, and still in a large enough state of shock that they didn’t pose much of a threat. Some had lunged at Guillermo as he’d made his way to the car, and he had fought them off with ease. The other stragglers had thought twice after that. His companions would be okay. They could get out of this mess by themselves.

This mess that _he’d_ created…

He kept his assurances up as he drove, pushing down the niggling urge to turn back around for them. He was headed for the house, praying, in spite of himself, that the vampires had enough brains to follow suit…preferably in bat form. They didn’t have much time. Each red light taunted him and made his hands slippery and impatient on the wheel. Each stop sign and each slow pedestrian had him cursing under his breath and worrying his lower lip. It was all he could do to keep a level head as he kept to the speed limit and waited in traffic.

It seemed like an hour had passed before he finally pulled into the driveway. He all but flew from the car, almost leaving the house keys and his stakes behind. He snatched them up at the last minute and then hurried inside.

Stepping into the foyer, Guillermo mentally recorded each croak of rotted floorboard and each structural groan. He looked for even the tiniest movements in the shadows, and the glint of animalistic eyes. But the house was blessedly empty of life – or unlife, if one didn’t include the dead bodies laying sprawled on the floor and draped over the banister. After a quick scope of the house, he rushed to his room and began pulling it apart, grabbing anything of importance: clothes, toiletries, extra weapons (including the Beretta 92 and box of silver bullets he’d recently acquired), his first-edition _The Vampire Lestat_ that he was in the middle of rereading _._ He was almost done packing when the front door opened with a deafening bang.

Guillermo’s heart leapt to his throat. When he heard Nandor’s angered voice, it only leaped higher. A second later the vampire hurtled into the room, his lips pulled back in a grimace. “The fuck was that?” he demanded. “Running off like that without untying me!”

“We don’t have time for this,” Guillermo said, in the most even voice he could manage. Adrenaline coursed through his veins still, and when Nandor shoved him half-heartedly, he almost instinctively grabbed for a stake.

“What kind of familiar are you?” Nandor continued, as if not hearing. He was enraged, yet his usual sulky petulance still shone through. If Guillermo didn’t know any better, he sounded hurt. He spun around to face his ex-master.

“One: I’m _not_ your familiar anymore,” he snapped. “Two: we don’t have time for this petty bullshit, Nandor. We have to get out of here. Find a bag and pack all your important things.”

“Guillermo! You are my familiar until I relieve you from your duties!” Surprisingly, the vampire was able to refrain from stomping his foot. Guillermo ignored him and unlocked the little drawer beneath his desk. He picked up the scattered contents inside: three sizeable piles of credit cards in Ziplock bags, two old smartphones, a pair of headphones, his sketchbook, a few pens, a small photo album. He haphazardly threw it all in the duffel bag.

Nandor was looking over the man’s shoulder now, with an irritable sort of curiosity. “What is so important about bits of plastic?” he demanded.

Guillermo rolled his eyes. “They’re credit cards,” he said. “How else do you think I pay for all your shit?”

He felt Nandor tense behind him, and he expected a reprimand for his rudeness, but the vampire simply said, “…jewels?”

Guillermo turned and scowled at him incredulously, before considering his ex-master’s words. “That’s actually a good idea.” He zipped his bag and swung it over his shoulder before leaving the room. He was headed for Nandor’s crypt.

“Hey!” the vampire shouted. “Not _my_ jewels!”

“Nadja? Laszlo?” Guillermo called, ignoring him. “Colin? Pack a bag, we’re leaving.”

*****************

“Ama, escucha. Solo me voy por un rato.” _Mama, listen. I’m just going away for a little while._ Guillermo was trying to keep his focus on the road ahead, but his eyes were blurring over. He could hardly keep up with his mother’s panicked voice in the tinny phone speaker. Colin sat beside him and stared at the sparse raindrops that splashed on the windscreen. Even he had nothing to say.

“Are you in trouble?” Silvia demanded in Spanish. “Why are you in trouble? What has my baby done?”

“No _Ama_ , I’m not in trouble,” Guillermo assured gently, though the quiver in his voice betrayed him. “I’ll be back soon. A couple of weeks, and I’ll come visit you straight away. I just wanted you to know in case…” _In case something happens._ He let the sentence hang.

“You don’t just go running off without an explanation, Guillermo! _Ay_ , _Pobrecito_. You are not like this!”

“What are they talking about?” Nadja whispered, too loudly, from the back.

“The fuck should I know?” Laszlo retorted. “Have you ever heard me speak Brazilian, dear?”

“It’s Spanish,” Colin muttered from the front. “Guillermo is Mexican.” He considered dipping into a spiel about the history of Brazilian Portuguese and the divergences in dialect, but even _he_ was exhausted.

“Well, _Ama_ seems to be the word he uses to address his mother,” Laszlo offered. Nadja rolled her eyes.

“I need to go now, _Ama_ ,” Guillermo sniffed. “I love you.”

“Guillermo, wait—” Silvia’s voice cut off as Guillermo hung up. He turned his phone off and tossed it into the centre compartment. He swallowed the morning star lodged in his throat and willed his tears away.

“Nandor, what is wrong?” Nadja groaned restively from the back. “You’re quiet as a dead hummingbird.”

The big vampire didn’t reply, which only elicited a growl from Nadja. He sat between the couple, his shoulders hunched, his eyes lowered to his limp hands. His face was impassive, but his eyes were stormy. Guillermo in his paranoia had turned to check out the back window once or twice while waiting at the lights, and he had seen the gloom in Nandor’s eyes, even in the dark. But he couldn’t focus on the vampire’s tantrum. He couldn’t even bask in the satisfaction of suddenly, for the first time in his life, taking charge. He had plans to make.

The vampires – sans Nandor, who had spent the entire drive thus far in silence – had nagged him multiple times about what they were doing and where they were going. All Guillermo could supply was that they were going into hiding. He was still figuring out the rest. Where could they possibly go where the Council wouldn’t hunt them down? Where they could live a relatively normal life ( _relatively_ being the keyword)? Would it be better to live in a sparsely-populated area in the middle of nowhere, or in plain sight in a city? He had the vampires’ food to think about, too. Maybe a more populated area would be necessary. And he’d have to find semi-permanent accommodation for them – somewhere where he could board up the windows. Or somewhere _without_ windows. Maybe somewhere that was cold and rainy most of the year, or somewhere with lots of woodland. They could find a little cabin in the woods. Or a basement room in some apartment building.

By the time they passed over the toll bridge and crossed the border into Pennsylvania, the adrenaline had left Guillermo’s veins and he felt a heavy blanket of exhaustion fall over his head and shoulders. It weighed him down and made his eyes droop, but he was determined to get as far away from Staten Island as possible tonight. Find a hotel room tucked away somewhere and figure out what the hell they were going to do next.

At some point Colin fell asleep, and the snoring that filled the uneasy silence was far too loud for a man of his size. Guillermo absently wondered if he was attempting to drain them, but he didn’t care. He was already beyond drained. He reached over and flicked on the radio in an attempt to drown out the noise and the uneasy silence coming from the back. It wasn’t like the vampires to stay so quiet for so long, and as appropriate as it was given the events of the night, it was still unnerving.

Through the haze of drowsiness, a destination that had been tugging at his mind for the past hour that he kept trying to ignore, began to form into a dreadfully solid idea. No matter how hard he tried to think of alternatives, he knew where they would end up. Because there was nowhere safer in this world that he had access to. _Tentative_ access to. He glanced down at his phone and his stomach churned sickeningly. When they passed the sign for Fort Littleton, he decided it was time to find a place to hunker down for the night.

*****************

Guillermo tossed a set of keys to an exhausted Laszlo, who almost dropped them. “Room seven,” he said. “Colin, Nandor and I will take eight.”

Nadja actually had fear in her eyes when she met Guillermo’s. “We’re not staying together?”

Guillermo chalked up the swell of emotion in his chest to his tiredness. “The rooms are side-by-side. There’s a door separating them. You’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine.” He looked at each of them in turn with the most resolute expression he could manage, though he found he couldn’t catch Nandor’s eye. “Just make sure you cover the window, and move the beds away from it if you can. Worst case scenario, sleep in the bathroom.”

Nadja screwed her nose up at that, but was too tired to argue. Guillermo adjusted the heavy bag on his shoulder and pushed past them. His companions reluctantly trudged behind. He’d scoured photos on Trivago for the hotel with the smallest, thickly-curtained windows he could find, and had come up with a Budget Inn on the outskirts of town. Safety was paramount, even if it meant an uncomfortable night on a hard mattress in a room with peeling walls.

 _We’ll be fine,_ he told himself, echoing the words he’d used to assure the vampires. He felt like he needed more assurance than any of them.

The room was not bad, though considerably less cozy than the photos online had claimed. Still, he had expected worse. There were towels, soap, a little TV, a mini-fridge, extra pillows and sheets and blankets. A Holy Bible.

“Get that shit away from me,” Laszlo demanded at once. Guillermo obeyed and stuck it in a bedside drawer. He threw his bag onto his bed, wordlessly claiming it for himself - the other two could share the other bed – and rummaged through it for clean clothes and his sharpest stakes. He tossed two of them on the closest single bed and gave Laszlo a pointed look, which probably came across as a half-threat. Nandor still wouldn’t meet his eyes. The taller vampire stood by the door, his eyes on the breakfast bar and its resident kettle, as though they were the most interesting things in the world.

“Alright,” Laszlo said, gingerly picking up the stakes. He opened his mouth to say more, then gave up and slumped his shoulders. They were all too tired for empty chatter. He left them through the adjoining door to meet Nadja in the next room.

Guillermo took his clothes and stake and went for a much-needed shower. The scalding water didn’t revive him…only made him sleepier. For that he was grateful. Maybe, despite the dread and the uncertainty and the fear, he’d get a decent night’s rest for once.

Nandor’s suitcase was an overlarge brick of a thing that took up half of his little bed. When Guillermo entered the room, the vampire was rummaging through it and pulling out the most impractical objects: a small empty vase, a candelabra, three foot-long quills that must have come from a _pheasant_ , a jeweled box, a small heavy pouch of sand, a handful of scrunchies…

“I have nothing to wear!” he lamented, speaking for the first time in hours. His voice was hoarse. Guillermo squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He knew he should have packed for him.

“I could offer you one of my beige sweaters but I’m not sure it’d fit,” Colin said, his voice its usual upbeat but monotonous tone. It seemed his sleep-draining did the trick.

“Wait!” Nandor said triumphantly. “I packed my favourite blouse!” He held it up for all to see.

Guillermo stifled a groan. “I’ve got a robe you can wear. It’ll be short, but it’ll do for now. I’ll find a laundromat tomorrow.” He found the fluffy black dressing gown and offered it to Nandor, who took it with as much bluster as one being given a snapping turtle. Guillermo didn’t flinch, though; even when their hands brushed. He kept his eyes securely on Nandor’s face.

Colin cleared his throat, shattering the momentary spell. “I, uh, suppose we should get some sleep, Gizmo. Wake up fresh and figure out what we’re doing, eh? I do snore, so I apologise in advance.” He offered them a simpering smile, though Guillermo wasn’t sure any amount of snoring could cut through his slumber tonight.

Guillermo hadn’t noticed Nandor’s departure until his ex-master came out of the bathroom dressed in his robe. His heart leapt stupidly in his chest at the sight; the robe only reached the vampire’s knees, and a wide, plunging ‘V’ at his chest revealed a nest of dark, curly hair. Guillermo had seen that chest plenty of times in the past, yet after all these years it still sent warmth spreading up his legs and through his groin and stomach. He hated himself for it. He averted his gaze quickly and pretended to search in his bag for something. Truth was, he was avoiding the next step of his plan. It filled him with a sick dread and made his throat constrict. Made it difficult to swallow.

“So, you and Nandor sharing a bed?” Colin asked casually, as he unzipped his modest suitcase and pulled out blue plaid pyjamas. 

Guillermo wanted to hit him, but he just kept up his aimless searching. He was curious if Nandor would respond...and what he would say.

“I think it’s best if we shared a bed, Colin,” Nandor muttered. His voice was hesitant, and Guillermo felt eyes on his back. “That way I can punch you in the temple if you keep up your snoring,” he added quickly, as if needing an excuse.

Guillermo tried to stifle his sigh. Nandor’s decision made sense, of course, and there were far more important things to mull over. But he still felt the simmering disappointment in his guts. He shook all thought of Nandor away and steeled himself, before snatching his phone off the nightstand. He had to do this. Not for them, he told himself, but for _him_. He logged into Facebook and went to the message. He’d archived it six years ago, but it was still there. Why he’d kept it there he never knew, but it held the phone number he needed. Part of him prayed the number was still in use. A larger part of him prayed it wasn’t.

“Guillermo,” Nandor said quietly from behind, surprising the man, who turned and regarded him. The vampire was sitting on the edge of his little bed, his hands resting in his lap. Guillermo shamefully wondered if he was wearing anything underneath the gown, and he quickly looked away, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks. Colin Robinson had disappeared, and the muffled sound of running water filled the still air. While Guillermo was busy looking in the direction of the bathroom, Nandor glanced up at him. “What now?” His voice was even quieter than before.

Guillermo let a sigh escape his nostrils as he sat on his own bed opposite. “I have…an idea of where we can go. Somewhere safe.”

“I don’t mean that,” Nandor snapped, though there was little fire in his voice. “I mean _us_.” He looked away, strangely sheepish. This wasn’t like him, and it rendered Guillermo speechless. Nandor continued in a rush, as though he was afraid of any response. “You said you are no longer my familiar. So what does that make you? Why are you here? You’re free.” He chanced a cautious glance up at Guillermo’s face, and his eyes – big, round puppy eyes – were glistening with moisture. “Are you going to leave me again?”

Once again Guillermo’s chest swelled with emotion, and once again he fought it down. He kept his voice curt and his expression cool. “I don’t know,” he said.

Nandor lowered his eyes, and his voice came out in a hush. “I don’t want you to go.”

Guillermo swallowed the jagged lump in his throat, along with the threatening tears. He had to stay strong, stay aloof…it was the only way he could stay in control of the situation. “We’ll talk about this later,” he said huskily, before glancing down at the phone in his hand. It felt like a dead weight in his palm. “I’ve got a call to make.”


End file.
